5 Trends that are Shaping the Future of Work

There’s something going on in the world of work today. Some kind of an evolution that’s forcing organizations to think differently about what it means to be an employee or a manager and even what it means to actually work. There are five trends that are causing this evolution to happen; the trends that are forcing organizations to challenge everything they know about work.

These five trends are:

Globalization

Globalization is causing the world to become like one giant city. The language that you speak, the culture that you subscribe to, the currency that you transact in, and the way you are physically located, are all starting to matter much less. This means that organizations can tap into talent anywhere in the world.

Mobility

Mobility is allowing us to stay connected to people and information; anytime, anywhere and on any device. This means that work is no longer a place you go to. It’s something that you carry with you in your pocket wherever you are.

Millennials & Changing Demographics

Millennials are expecting to comprise 50% of the workforce by 2020 and 75% of the workforce by 2025. Millennials are digital natives who expect and want to work in ways that reflect the year we live in. Most people live in 2018 but work at companies that operate like they are in 1980. Although the millennials are driving enormous organizational change, it’s important to remember that the future employee is anyone who is changing their and mindset to adapt to the changing workforce. This means it doesn’t matter that person is 22 or 62.

New Behaviors

New behaviors are rapidly entering our organizations. For example, we are comfortable living a more public life. We share our thoughts in blogs, post reviews on yelp, have our entire professional history on linkedin, share pictures on instagram, rant on twitter, and engage in open conversations on Facebook. In fact, virtually every aspect of business behavior has changed, including the way we share, communicate, collaborate, teach, learn, find information, access technology and create content. This is forcing organizations to fundamentally rethink and reimagine the way we work.

Technology

Technology such as big data, wearable devices, collaboration platforms, the internet of things, and cloud computing are enabling us to work in new ways, while keeping us more engaged and productive. In the future of work, technology is the central nervous system of the organizations that enables everything else to function.

Together, these five trends combined with an unprecedented war for talent, is forcing organizations to shift their mentality from creating a place where employees need to work to creating an environment where employees want to work. When we think about the future of work, the organizations that can most effectively make this shift from NEED to WANT are the ones who will be able to attract and retain top talent. This means if your organization doesn’t think about and plan for the future of work, then your organization will have no future!

Sameer is a seasoned internet marketing professional with 15+ years experience in the e-commerce industry. He's a keen observer of behavior and social issues and occasionally writes about life's experiences.